Mugabe moves closer to restricting human rights funding

FRESH from banning sections of the British media from covering the English cricket tour, Zimbabwe yesterday moved closer to passing a contentious law that will restrict foreign funding of human rights groups.

Autocratic President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party defeated filibusters by the opposition in parliament.

In a session that stretched overnight, the majority Zanu-PF party voted down a series of last-minute amendments sought by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

It meant the Voluntary Organisations Bill will likely be passed when parliament convenes in Harare today.

Once approved, the bill will be sent to Mr Mugabe to be signed into law.

The widely criticised measure imposes strict controls on all forms of private associations and charities, including churches, and bans the receipt of foreign funding without state approval.

No organisation with foreign links is permitted to deal with “issues of governance or rights”.

Zimbabwe’s 80-year-old president has repeatedly accused Western-funded charities and rights groups of siding with his opponents. Opponents of the bill have likened it to sweeping media laws passed in 2002, that gave the government the power to close independent news outlets and stifle criticism.

Sitting in an informal committee session yesterday, Zanu-PF MPs also defeated opposition attempts to hold up a bill governing procedures for a parliamentary election scheduled for March.

The opposition MDC, headed by veteran union leader Morgan Tsvangirai, has threatened to boycott the vote if election procedures are not reformed.